New coach welcomes Lawton back to UMaine men’s basketball team

Bob Walsh has been the head coach for men’s basketball at the University of Maine for less than three weeks, but he has already hired two assistant coaches and signed two recruits to National Letters of Intent. Buy Photo

The 6-foot-5-inch guard, who will be a junior in the fall, has decided to remain with the UMaine program.

“It’s a credit to him, honestly, the way he handled himself,” said Walsh, who explained Lawton explored other options but continued to meet his academic responsibilities and didn’t burn any bridges.

Walsh said some of his contacts, who coached Lawton in the past, indicated he might be willing to remain in Orono and would be suited to the program’s new leadership.

Lawton was poised to jump ship along with classmates Dimitry Akanda-Coronel and Xavier Pollard, who transferred to Bryant University and Kent State, respectively.

Walsh said he was willing to consider Lawton’s situation, once he did some homework.

“I talked to his teammates, I talked to the administration and the people in the athletic department, the academic people,” he explained. “I literally talked to anybody who knew him and said, tell me your take on him.”

Walsh said he supported Lawton’s wish to stay but asked him to mull it over before deciding.

“I didn’t want anybody who wasn’t totally committed,” Walsh said. “He thought about it, and he called me and he said, ‘Coach, I want to be a part of the culture that you’re going to build there.’ We’re happy that he’ll be with us.”

Lawton led the Black Bears in assists, at 4.2 per game; steals, 2; and turnovers, 3.2, this past season. He ranked fourth in scoring at 8.1 points per game.

Hitting the ground running

Walsh and his assistant coaches have been working hard to get the program up to speed.

He said it can’t be construed as a transition period, since there has been no down time since he was hired May 7.

“When a change is made in this time period, you really have to hit the ground running,” Walsh said.